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5 Ways to Prepare Your Business for the Mobile Year

Take a moment to think about your current marketing strategy. Is your website optimized for the mobile web? Are you active on social media? If not, it’s time to prep your business for the “Mobile Year.”

2014 introduced many advancements in mobile such as Apple Pay with branded content marketing. As these trends continue to evolve, startups, businesses, and large enterprises will need to prepare for even more connectivity and new mobile marketing tactics within the upcoming year. Here are five ways to prepare your business for the mobile year:

1. Integrate mobile payments.

Last year, tech giants such as Apple and Google launched mobile payment platforms. As more consumers and startups begin to adopt this technology, it’s expected that half of the smartphone users will be making payments via their mobile wallet by 2017.

When adopting mobile payments, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, many consumers are extremely wary of using mobile payment because of security precautions. However, businesses can take action by using secure payment systems and promising customers more secure purchases.

Businesses also need to make sure their mobile payment system is simple. Consumers don’t want to use multiple platforms to make a payment with their smartphone. They want to be able to tap their mobile screens once or twice to make a payment. If startups are able to make mobile payment simple for their customers, they’ll be able to attract more people to their product or service.

2. Reach target customers through mobile social ads.

With advancements in social advertising, such as Google launching +Post Ads in 2014, businesses will need to prepare for interactive, social advertisements.

Social advertisements are a necessity especially for small businesses or startups who want to get noticed online. You can no longer depend on an organic reach to get noticed by your target audience. In 2015, it’s important to dedicate a budget to paid social advertisements, create a strategy, and identify your target audience.

3. Focus on mobile visual storytelling.

If you want to reach more customers in 2015, you’ll have to tell a story they can experience on the go. By using visual platforms such as Instagram and Vine, brands can tell the story of their business through photos and videos.

It’s also important to optimize blog content for mobile visual storytelling. In fact, research shows blog posts with visuals drive 150 percent more engagement. Whenever you create a blog post, make sure you include an image, video, or infographic to support the story you want to tell. Remember it’s all about being visual!

When planning your mobile content marketing budget, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, think about the time and talent you will need to implement into your strategy. It’s also important to think about the type of content you’ll produce. You should also consider how much money you will have to spend on paid social advertisements. Keeping these details in mind will help you create a better budget for your mobile content marketing strategy.

5. Focus on real-time marketing.

Research shows 22 percent of consumers are more likely to notice a brand if they take advance of real-time marketing.

In 2015, focus on real-time marketing to reach your target audience on-the-go. For example, let’s say you’re developing a mobile app for job seekers. When marketing this app, you’ll want to reach your target audience when they’re active on social media. What time is the most prominent on Twitter? Ideally, you’d probably reach job seekers around lunchtime or in the evening when they’re applying for jobs. This data about your target audience will help you create a more effective real-time marketing strategy.

It’s no wonder that 2015 will be a BIG year for mobile and businesses need to ramp up their mobile marketing strategies. By following these trends, you can be prepared for the “Mobile Year”.